MILITARY INTELLIGENCE?

Military intelligence?

Oxymoronic? 

It is one thing to ask members of the military to volunteer for particularly dangerous missions. But we do not, ( I think!)  ask infantrymen if they would like to learn how to use a rifle, ask artillerymen if they would like to learn how to put a shell in the breech of the weapon, or ask on-duty personnel if they would like to go to work today, or, for example, accept assignments like guard duty, pointing their weapons at the enemy, etc. You know, that kind of stuff.

We don't ask those personnel their druthers on these issues because the effectiveness of the unit depends upon 100% compliance with command directives. I was always taught the first mission of our military was effectively to defend the United States of America, and they cannot do that if each member of each unit decides to play in his or her own sandbox.

You do not have to be four-star General to know that a military unit cannot be at maximum effectiveness if 30 to 40% of the unit is not available for duty. That's why military training involves rules respecting maintaining the health and effectiveness of the troops. 

Once upon a time, I was in the United States Army. In the very first week after induction, I was taught how to how to clean the latrine, meticulously wash mess hall dishes, stand guard duty, etc., when it became my turn to do that. All that was important to maintain the health of my barrack mates and the military effectiveness of my unit. I was not asked to consent.

On day one after induction, they issued us uniforms and boots, and on day two, wearing the former, we were marched to the base hospital, where they lined us up single file and gave everybody a shot in the right arm. They may have told us what they were vaccinating us against -- I do not recall, other than I have a vague recollection that it involved several different diseases. I do remember they didn't use syringes with needles, but some sort of a gun they pressed up against your upper arm, and when they pulled the trigger, a high pressure blast forced a multi-serum vaccine  through your skin. Very efficient. The line moved fast. No consent required.

 At the end of the line, a clerk recorded your name and serial number. They did that to make sure that no less than 100% of the members of the unit were inoculated. Makes sense, non?

Now the United States is facing a grave threat. The Covid pandemic has, so far, killed more Americans than were killed in battle in World War I, World War II, and Vietnam combined. It is not hyperbole when both former President Trump and current President Biden have referred to our struggle with this pandemic as a "war" against this disease. 

Fortunately we now have effective weapons in the war. Maybe not enough of them at the moment, but we're working on that. We have established priorities for the distribution of our weaponry. In the military, if there were a shortage of rifles, the first tranche to receive them would be the front line troops, and the rear area clerks would have to wait until the supply increased. Similarly, in the war on Covid, we have also established priorities -- military personnel get the vaccine before encyclopedia salesman do. Well, that makes sense to me.

So how is it that I read in the press that 30% of our armed forces personnel have declined Covid vaccinations?. Indeed in some units it's as high as 40%! Am I dreaming? Does our  military really ask our soldiers if they consent to be immunized against a disease that could diminish the health, safety, and fighting effectiveness of the unit?

And if the foregoing is insufficiently astonishing, try out of the reported reason: all of the current Covid vaccinations ( Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) have received only "emergency approval" from the FDA. If one digs further into that approval structure, one finds that the scheme is allegedly in accordance with the Food and Drug Act enacted in 1938. And pursuant the rules, the "emergency" nature of the approval may last for a year, or years. But whether the approval bears the label "emergency" or not, our government leaders have assured us that it is virtually 100% safe, urges all 300 million adults in the United States to get vaccinated, and we are spending millions of dollars on a sophisticated information campaign to change the minds of some 20% of the citizenry who, so far, say they are not going to take a vaccination. 

And if this is really a national emergency, doesn't that make 100% military compliance even more vital?

I don't know if the shots the Army gave me were "emergency pandemic" vaccines or not, but for sure, nobody asked me if I wanted to accept that serum shot in the arm in my first week of basic training. It would've been absurd to make that shot voluntary because an outbreak of any one of the communicable diseases against which I was vaccinated would obviously diminish the health, safety, and effectiveness of my military unit. 

I don't recall seeing any report of inquiry of the newly appointed Secretary of Defense about this. Was the  United States Senate so busy organizing itself up into adversarial political teams that nobody is paying attention to the merits? Nobody asked about this? 

Does the law really require consent from a soldier to receive a vaccination that his government has not only approved but is urging every citizen in the land to accept in the war against Covid? 

And if there really is a statutory basis for that absurd result, shouldn't Congress and the President change that overnight? Is this an issue as to which Republicans and Democrats could possibly disagree?

Are we really losing it?

A bientot.

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